Without her ID or wallet on her, Xia Yinuo called Ke Dinghao and asked him to bring her wallet, student ID, and medical insurance card from the second drawer of her lab desk to the university hospital. Ke Dinghao rushed over on his bike. Seeing the injured Xia Yinuo and Liang Jueyun standing beside her, he was utterly confused, but Xia Yinuo sent him back to the lab with a few quick words.
The X-ray results showed a distal radius fracture in her right hand.
As a "model junior," Ke Dinghao called Zhang Jikang to inform him that Senior Xia had hurt her hand and was at the university hospital. Zhang Jikang wasn't on campus, so he hurriedly called Xia Yinuo to confirm. Once he had the answer, he immediately notified Li Qinglan. Xia Yinuo felt a pang of frustration; well, it was bound to reach her mother sooner or later.
Liang Jueyun stood by, quietly holding Xia Yinuo’s coat and other belongings. Hanging up the phone, Xia Yinuo said helplessly, "The news has leaked. I’ll probably have to go to the C University Affiliated Hospital in a bit. Senior, you should head back first; don't let this delay your experiments."
Liang Jueyun shook her head, indicating it was no trouble. "I saw you were in low spirits earlier. I feel terribly guilty."
"I’m really fine. I’ve never been clearer than I am right now," Xia Yinuo said, her gaze steady and resolute.
It is said that a woman is a rib taken from a man, and so men carry this "original sin" as they search the vast world for the rib that belongs to them. But regardless of gender, the bone of love—with a single, sharp crack—had pressed the mute button on the clamorous world.
Half an hour later, Li Du rushed to the university hospital. After a brief look at Xia Yinuo’s arm, he insisted on taking her to the Affiliated Hospital without a second thought. Once they were in the car, Xia Yinuo introduced them. "Uncle Li, this is Teacher Liang from our college. She happened to be nearby when I got hurt and brought me here. Senior, this is my uncle."
Li Du looked a bit embarrassed. "Hello, Teacher Liang. Thank you so much. I was in such a rush just now that I didn't even greet you properly."
Liang Jueyun replied modestly, "Please, don't mention it. Actually, it was because of me—"
Xia Yinuo quickly interrupted, "Uncle Li, where's my mom?" This really had nothing to do with Liang Jueyun, and she didn't want her to be needlessly involved.
"She has surgery this afternoon and can't get away. You really gave us a scare. It’s good that you’re alright," Li Du answered.
Xia Yinuo gave a sweet smile and said it was no big deal.
At the Affiliated Hospital, the re-examination yielded the same result as the university hospital: she needed a cast. Li Du’s phone rang several times, so Liang Jueyun said softly, "Dr. Li, why don't you head back to work? I can stay here with her." After thanking her repeatedly, Li Du returned to his department.
The orthopedic ward was crowded and somewhat noisy. Xia Yinuo sat on a stool while Liang Jueyun stood beside her, resting a hand gently on her shoulder. Xia Yinuo looked up at her, and Liang Jueyun thought she looked just like a little white rabbit.
Before long, a doctor and nurse entered with their equipment and began applying the cast. As Xia Yinuo watched the doctor wrap the plaster bandages, she joked, "When I was interning at the hospital and rotated through orthopedics, I thought applying casts looked very interesting and always wanted to try it. I finally got my chance today, though unfortunately, I'm the patient."
"Everyone knows Dr. Li’s son is clever and capable, but I didn't expect him to have such a beautiful daughter as well," a middle-aged male doctor with squinty eyes said cheerfully.
Xia Yinuo smiled without explaining. There were three "Dr. Lis" in the family; there was no need to be too specific. Once the procedure was finished, the squinty-eyed doctor insisted that Xia Yinuo be hospitalized overnight for observation. Xia Yinuo argued that it was a minor injury and there was no need to waste medical resources, but the doctor said her father had specifically requested it and the paperwork was already done.
Xia Yinuo’s right hand, now in a cast, dangled from her neck. She looked at Liang Jueyun helplessly. "Senior..."
Liang Jueyun said, "Just follow the doctor's orders."
The two gathered their things and moved from the outpatient building to the inpatient department. The elevator was packed and noisy. Liang Jueyun stood behind and to the right of Xia Yinuo, using her arm to shield her and prevent anyone from bumping the injury. Xia Yinuo felt Liang Jueyun’s breath near her ear, and a sliver of warmth rose in her heart.
The room was a private suite, likely arranged by Li Du. Once the nurse had settled their things and left, Xia Yinuo let out a long sigh of relief. Finally, it was quiet.
"Senior, thank you for staying with me all this time," Xia Yinuo said, sitting on the foot of the hospital bed, her toes touching the floor.
Liang Jueyun sat on the sofa by the window. "Don't say that to me. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be in this state."
"Actually, that Uncle Li from earlier is my mother's current husband. The doctor mistook him for my father. Knowing my luck, my mom will probably come charging in here soon. Everything is fine now, so why don't you head back first? I wouldn't want you to get caught in the crossfire."
"Why?" Liang Jueyun asked, puzzled.
"Sigh, moms are all like that. She’ll definitely start nagging in a bit."
Ignoring Xia Yinuo’s suggestion, Liang Jueyun asked instead, "Does it still hurt?"
"Huh? Oh, no, it doesn't." As she spoke, she moved her casted hand a bit too much and winced.
Liang Jueyun stood up and walked over to her. Xia Yinuo felt a bit guilty and avoided her gaze, but Liang Jueyun took her by the shoulders, forcing them to look at each other.
Liang Jueyun’s gaze was sincere. "Even though you didn't want me to say anything in front of your uncle, I must say I'm sorry to you. And, thank you."
"Senior, don't take it to heart," Xia Yinuo said, subtly slipping out of Liang Jueyun’s grasp. "I’ve had plenty of bumps and bruises since I was a kid. This was purely an accident. Please don't feel burdened by it."
Liang Jueyun sat back down on the sofa. "But your hand is in a cast now, and many things will be inconvenient. Let me take care of you."
To Xia Yinuo, those words sounded equivalent to: *I will take responsibility for you.*
Before she could respond, the door was pushed open. Her mother had arrived, followed by an intern.
Xia Yinuo shot a quick glance at Liang Jueyun, who stood up. Li Qinglan was still in her white lab coat. Upon entering, she saw her daughter sitting at the foot of the bed. She went straight to Xia Yinuo, took her hand, and inspected it twice. After seeing that slightly guilty face, the weight in her heart finally lifted.
Her mother spoke: "Xia Yinuo, present the case."
"Oh. Patient is female, 24 years old, with a distal radius fracture of the right hand. During the fall, the wrist joint was in a dorsiflexed and pronated position. The palm hit the ground, and the force was concentrated on the cancellous bone of the distal radius, causing an extension-type fracture. Fortunately, the median nerve is undamaged. There is significant swelling and tenderness in the wrist, with restricted movement of the hand and wrist..."
Li Qinglan interrupted her. "Enough. Do you know what you did wrong?"
"I don't think I did anything wrong?!" Even though she had switched to basic research, she hadn't forgotten everything she’d learned.
"Nothing? You were wrong not to notify us immediately, and you were wrong for trying to hide it."
"Fine, I was wrong..." Since her mother had already passed judgment, Xia Yinuo’s voice dropped.
Seeing her daughter like this, Li Qinglan stroked her head and finally softened. "You... you really scared me to death!"
Liang Jueyun stood where she was, quietly watching the mother and daughter with a silent smile.
Xia Yinuo winked at Liang Jueyun, then used her good left hand to hug Li Qinglan’s waist, crying out with exaggerated drama, "Oh, Mom, don't blame me anymore! It hurts so much!"
Li Qinglan gave "Little Treasure" an affectionate pat on the back and scolded gently, "Now you know it hurts? If your grandmother found out, she’d be too worried to eat."
"We naturally can't tell Grandma," Xia Yinuo continued, burying her head in Li Qinglan’s embrace and speaking in a muffled voice. "And don't tell Dad yet."
A soft chuckle came from behind them. Xia Yinuo looked up and saw it was the intern following her mother. Li Qinglan also noticed Liang Jueyun standing by the window.
Xia Yinuo let go of her mother and introduced them. "Mom, this is Teacher Liang Jueyun. She’s the one who took me to the university hospital and then here, and she’s been staying with me. Senior, this is my mother; she’s a doctor here at the Affiliated Hospital."
Li Qinglan immediately reached out. "Teacher Liang, I heard from her uncle. Thank you so much for today."
Liang Jueyun quickly shook her hand. "Hello, Dr. Li. You can just call me by my name. Actually, I’m the one who should apologize..."
"Mom, I’m so hungry. It’s past five. Get me something for dinner!" Xia Yinuo cut in.
"Oh, you child. I’ve been so busy I forgot the time. Teacher Liang, please stay for a simple meal before you go. The hospital environment isn't great, so I hope you don't mind. Xiaobao, you stay put in the hospital tonight. I still have work to do; I’ll come back later to deal with you!"
"Hehe, Mom, go ahead and get back to work. Take care, I won't see you out!"
Li Qinglan gave Xia Yinuo a sharp look before saying to Liang Jueyun, "Teacher Liang, you’ve become a teacher at such a young age. If our Xiaobao were even half as good as you, I’d have much less to worry about. Her uncle and I are both too busy today. I’ll have someone bring food over shortly. Let’s have a proper meal together another day."
"You’re too kind, Dr. Li," Liang Jueyun said politely.
Once Li Qinglan and her intern left the room, Xia Yinuo breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Liang Jueyun. "Nagging is an occupational hazard for doctors."
"They’re just worried about you."
"I know."
"You! Are you really hungry?"
"I'm alright. I just said that to appease my mom."
"With your hand in a cast, things will be difficult. Like I said, your injury happened because of me. Let me take care of you after you’re discharged."
"That... how could I impose on you like that?" In reality, Xia Yinuo couldn't have been happier.
"It’s only right. Didn't you say you don't want your grandmother to know?"
"True. Hehe, then I’ll have to trouble you. I was just worried my mom would drag me back to her place—I mean, where she lives with Uncle Li."
"Then tell Dr. Li that they’re too busy to look after you. We live close to each other, so it’s more convenient."
"That would be perfect!"
After chatting for a while, there was a knock on the door. A tall young doctor in a white lab coat entered, carrying two plastic bags. Seeing Xia Yinuo’s hand, he gave an understanding smile. "You must be Xiaobao? I’m Qi Qian. Xiuheng asked me to bring you dinner."
"Okay, thank you," Xia Yinuo said. Liang Jueyun stepped forward and took the bags first.
"My legs still work fine," Xia Yinuo grumbled under her breath.
Liang Jueyun took the food out and arranged it on the table; one container was clearly marked as Xia Yinuo’s patient meal. The young male doctor stood there smiling, showing no sign of leaving.
Xia Yinuo asked, "Doctor, have you eaten yet? Would you like to join us?"
Liang Jueyun smiled to herself. There were clearly only two portions of food; Xia Yinuo was obviously showing him the door while maintaining a polite facade.
"I’ve already eaten," Qi Qian said with a gentle smile, setting down another plastic bag. "There are some toiletries in here as well. I won't disturb you then. By the way, you can just call me Qi Qian. We’ll be seeing each other again. Goodbye."
As soon as Qi Qian left, Liang Jueyun looked at Xia Yinuo with narrowed eyes. Xia Yinuo’s eyes darted around before she said, "Senior, do you know who that was? That’s the blind date my grandmother wants me to meet. Qi Qian, Qi Qian... I’ve heard Grandma and my brother mention that name so many times. I knew it was him the moment he said his name. My brother definitely put him up to delivering the food today."
"I guessed as much."
"You guessed it, yet you still looked at me like that."
"I was waiting for you to say it yourself."
"What is there to say? I’m not as bored as they are."
"Alright, alright, you’re not bored. Hurry up and eat. Can you even hold chopsticks with that hand?"
"No. But I don't think I’ll need them," Xia Yinuo said, pointing at the opened takeout boxes.
Xia Yinuo’s meal consisted of a light shredded chicken congee and a corn, pork rib, and seaweed soup—all liquid-based and exactly what she liked. Liang Jueyun’s meal was a standard set of three dishes, a soup, and white rice. It was very thoughtful.
"Perfect, just use a spoon then."
They ate and began to chat casually.
"Senior, do you think my family is very complicated? I mean, my parents being divorced and remarried, Uncle Li..."
"Not at all. I respect marriage and family. I think they treat you very well, and as long as you’re happy, that’s what matters."
"That’s good. You know, there are a lot of gossips in the hospital. Sigh."
"You don't think I'm like those gossips, do you?"
"No, no!" Realizing her words were ambiguous, Xia Yinuo quickly explained, "I didn't mean it like that. Of course I know you’re not that kind of person. I meant that’s why I didn't want to be a doctor."
"I’ve heard you say that the hospital environment doesn't suit you."
"Yeah. For one, I don't think my personality is suited for clinical work. Being a doctor requires not just knowledge and skill, but also courage and responsibility. You have to know how to deal with patients and their families, be willing to work erratic hours, and give up much of your personal life. Secondly, if I became a doctor, I’d inevitably be under the protection of my mom and Uncle Li. As for 'carrying on the family business,' my brother—Uncle Li’s son—is already doing that. Our family doesn't need another doctor."
Liang Jueyun asked with interest, "So, are you saying you’re someone who lacks courage and responsibility?"
Xia Yinuo pursed her lips and looked at the ceiling. "To some extent, I’m used to running away. But in certain matters, I think I can choose to be brave."
"Alright, I should head back. I left Diandian all by herself; I need to go back and see how the end of the experiment went. Get some rest, and I’ll come pick you up tomorrow."
"You’re going back to the lab? I’ve taken up so much of your time today, I’m really sorry."
"Why are you saying that to me again?"
"Fine, I won't. I’ll ask Uncle Li to find someone to drive you back."
"No need, I’ll just take a taxi."
"Then I’ll walk you down."
"No," Liang Jueyun said, pressing down on Xia Yinuo as she tried to stand. "Rest well. See you tomorrow."
"Okay, see you tomorrow."
***
